The Surfer
by BlueRegina06
Summary: Sea-side camping, white sand, bonfires, big waves, great company and a gorgeous blue-haired man with a passion for surfing. Will all these be enough to cure Ichigo's broken heart? AU, yaoi, maybe OOC.
1. Chapter 1

**Found this baby in my one-year-old fiction files. It's kinda summer-y so I thought... Why not? Please don't ask me to update soon, seriously, that's the last thing I can do. This one was already written and ready to go, that's why I'm posting it. **

**With that said... Happy Grimmichi day y'all!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of the characters.**

**XXXX**

"What a slut!"

"Shinji relax, we've talked about this. There is no necessity for further repetition."

Shinji glared heatedly at the orange haired man seated next to him, on the back seat of Renji's Jeep Cherokee. "But Ich! You guys were friends for I don't know how long and then she goes and does _that!_"

Ichigo sighed exasperatedly and stared outside of the window, knowing that arguing any further wouldn't take him anywhere. Shinji Hirako, his blond best friend ever since diapers, was always such a stubborn drama queen.

"It wasn't all her fault, Hirako," a deep male voice added from the driver's seat, "Kaien wasn't exactly Mr. Chastity during the whole relationship."

Shinji scowled angrily and tucked a tuff of his shoulder length blond hair behind his ear. "Yeah, right; ya always support yer little childhood friend, Abarai.", he bit back, menacingly.

Renji Abarai glared at the blond from the back rear mirror, letting out an angry breath after a while. "So yer sayin' that Kaien wasn't at fault? If I recall correctly, he had cheated more than once."

Ichigo sighed in defeat, pinching the bridge of his nose. _Were they serious? They were really talking about his destroyed love-life while he was right there?_

"I ain't sayin' that!", the blond retorted heatedly, the loud shrill piercing Ichigo's eardrums, "That dickless bastard, Kaien, was always an asshole but that slut Ru-"

"Guys!", the orange head hollered, startling the two arguing men, "Enough!"

Ichigo couldn't take it anymore. It was comforting that his friends cared about him and his emotional condition but his nerves had been at the verge of breaking ever since he found out that his lover of two years, Kaien Shiba, had been cheating on him with no one else but his childhood friend, Rukia Kuchiki. _A woman_. Even though the unfortunate event had occurred about six months ago, the constant, verbal repetition of his mistake from his friends and family wasn't exactly the most pleasurable experience for the orange-haired man. It didn't help him forget.

Not only the wound still stung and burnt but it had also shattered his male pride. It was normal, wasn't it? His supposedly homosexual boyfriend to seek out a woman's embrace for whatever reason - _a reason Ichigo was still unaware of_ \- was a kick below the belt. Ichigo felt like it was his fault for not being capable of satisfying his lover's needs to such extend that his man had to fuck a _woman _to get what he wanted.

_Where had he done wrong?_

All of his friends supported him in this hard moment of his love life, all of them kept telling him that it wasn't his fault. Shinji was the most persistent of all, the one who didn't leave him alone, not one second. That was maybe because Shinji knew that the orange head had a tendency of carrying the blame on his shoulders, for every single one of his failures. This situation was not an exception; Ichigo indeed took all the blame for the malfunctioning relationship, shut himself out of the world and raised the walls of his heart higher than before.

_That motherfucking Shinji was almost always right._

At that moment, a soft, delicate hand hesitantly patted the top of his, making Ichigo turn his head to look at his blond haired friend. "Ich," Shinji spoke gently, eyebrows furrowed in concern, "I'm sorry. We are both assholes. Yer tryn'a forget and we keep talkin' about it..."

"I'm sorry too, Ichi," Renji apologized, russet eyes full of regret locking with brown via the front mirror.

A ghost smile tugged upwards the edges of Ichigo's mouth as a very girly giddiness filled his stomach. _Oh well, girly sh-girly. That's why he loved those two assholes so much._

"Don't worry guys," he said, voice lighter, "We came here to have fun, right?"

_Fun._ _What a joke. _Ichigo wasn't exactly pessimistic about this expedition but actual fun had been out of his daily routine since the "incident" with Kaien. However, deep inside that kind soul of his, he had a feeling that this trip could be indeed fun. Or at least he hoped so.

Renji smirked at him through the mirror. "And some pretty boys to warm our sleeping bags."

Both Shinji and Ichigo rolled their eyes but in the end bursted into helpless laughter. Renji was indeed a classic gay man; after he came across the "goodies", as himself usually said, of the male body, he became unstoppable and insatiable. His exotic looks didn't do any harm, the complete opposite, as a matter of fact; Renji could have any male he wanted in his bed, naked and wet, begging to be ravished. Tall, broad, with long fiery red hair. Some people believed that his brash, rude attitude and short temper was because of the hair. _Ichigo was included in this group of people._

However most people ignored that attitude in favor of the tattoos, those tribal, badass tattoos, which were everywhere on the redhead's tanned skin. On his arms, back, neck, chest, abdomen, face... Ichigo had caught himself more than enough times secretly admiring his best friend's model-like body.

Ichigo wanted a man close to Renji's looks, minus the attitude. He was looking for a gentleman, funny, smart with a dash of arrogance but not too much. _Get or it is too complicated?_

_What he truly looked for, though, was honesty. Honesty and faithfulness._

Shinji was the polar opposite; the blond man was lithe, almost skinny, and not as tall as Renji and Ichigo. However, for the lack of height and weight, Shinji surely made up for with his attitude; blunt, crass, short tempered and badass when needed, Shinji took shit from no one. He could definitely take a few men down in a fist-to-fist combat, if ever needed to.

Suddenly, the car came to an abrupt halt, the roaring engine switching off. "We're here!", Renji chirped happily, breaking the nice silence that had settled between the trio.

Ichigo, who had just come back from his rainy inner world, looked outside at the beautiful scenery; they were in the wild forest, close to their campsite where they would stay for around two weeks. Between the fluffy trees Ichigo could make out the deep blue of the sea. _Ah the sea_. Ichigo Kurosaki adored the sea and his biggest weakness was the color; _blue._

_Was there a prettier color than blue?_

"Oi, Ich!", Shinji shouted, startling the hell out of him, "Get yer fat ass out here!"

Ichigo hastily untied his seat belt and jumped off the Jeep, shutting noisily the door behind him. His chocolate brown eyes scanned the area for his blond friend and spotted him carrying his large suitcase - expect Shinji to bring a whole fucking suitcase for camping - and next to him, Renji was flirting, _er, talking_ to a raven haired male. The camp's owner, Ichigo assumed.

Slowly, almost nonchalantly, Ichigo closed the distance between him and his friends, taking a better look at the raven haired man Renji was currently conversing with at the same time; he was approximately the same height as Ichigo - 6 feet - slim but toned, with three scars carved on the right side of his face, from brow to jaw, but he was very handsome nonetheless. Ichigo also noticed in astonishment that the man had a tattoo of the number '69' on his face.

_He liked it so much?_, Ichigo thought and shook his head.

"So your tent's number is '15'; it's big enough for the three of you." The raven haired man glanced at the arriving Ichigo and nodded in acknowledge. Ichigo nodded back, wordlessly. The brunet's black eyes turned back at Renji, a flirty smile brightened up his handsome face. "Me and a couple of friends around here are having a bonfire tonight. You are all invited."

"We'll be there, thanks for the invitation, Shuuhei," Renji promised, offering his large hand to the brunet. Ichigo inwardly rolled his eyes when the other man grasped Renji's hand and the redhead brought it to his lips. _Ew Renji. Ew._

Shuuhei-guy chuckled and bowed before he turned on his heel and walked away. It took both Shinji's obnoxiously loud yell and Ichigo's well aimed punch on Renji's shoulder to resuscitate the man.

"Ow, motherfucker! Ow!", Renji complained, clasping his pained shoulder.

Ichigo and Shinji cackled sadistically. "Sooooo," the blond haired man crooned, "Shuuhei, huh?"

A goofy smile spread over the redhead's face. "Guys...", he sighed after a while, straightening his back, "I think I'm in love."

Shinji gasped in shock but then whooped happily, clapping his hands while Ichigo rolled his eyes and sighed, failing to hide a smile. Always expect Renji to fall in love with every handsome brunet existing in nature. He had a huge crush on Rukia's straight, not to mention married, brother, Byakuya Kuchiki, for three years to begin with.

"Okay, okay love bird," Ichigo retorted sarcastically, "Let's get settled in our tent and go for a swim."

It took more than an hour to finally settle in their tent and that was mainly because of Shinji who had brought his entire apartment with him. The blond man kept whining and wailing when Ichigo instructed him to keep some of his shit inside the truck, Renji kept losing his short temper and argued with Shinji most of time and Ichigo... Well Ichigo barely kept his cool, enough to wordlessly put on his swimming trunks, cover himself in sun block, unpack his towel and leave the bickering duo alone with their bickering. They didn't even notice him leaving.

_Aaaah, blessed silence at fucking last._

It was a warm day, the sun was shining brightly in the sky and the sea was calm save for the large waves sloshing here and there on the shore. In other words, a weather very suitable for surfers. Ichigo could make out a bunch of them riding those blue waves, twirling and dancing upon them elegantly. He smiled; surfing was one of his favorite sports, strictly to watch only because he had a severe case of two left feet. Whatever required balance and hand-to-eye-to-leg coordination he couldn't do to save his life.

_Completely helpless._

Approaching the shore, Ichigo looked around for a nice spot to set his towel down and lie down to photosynthesize. Back where he lived, he was filled to the brim with carbon monoxide and nitrogen, noise and large buildings, and he couldn't enjoy the sun the way he wanted. That was the main reason why he and his friends escaped to the sea side, with no noise, no unhealthy habits and no Internet of course.

Once he found the perfect spot close to the sea, so that his legs dipped inside the cold water, Ichigo closed his eyes and surrendered his body to the sun God. He wouldn't have been laying on the white sand more than fifteen minutes when a loud, enthusiastic cry unsettled him from his slumber.

"WOOOOOOOHOOOO!"

Scowling, Ichigo opened his brown eyes and sat up, scanning the area for the noisy son of a bitch who disturbed his peaceful moment. When his eyes finally settled of the source of the noise, he felt them widen, intestines twisted and twined, annoying butterflies declaring war in his stomach.

_Jesus Christ, did Shinji feed him some hallucinogenics? Because there was no way in hell he was watching an angel sliding over a big wave like he owned the fucking ocean._

_Maybe Poseidon's lost son decided to show himself to the mortals, who knew?_

The God-like creature Ichigo's brown eyes were currently locked on, was riding a large wave on his white surf board, with the biggest and toothiest grin on his face. Although Ichigo couldn't see much of the man's face, he could definitely spot a shock of blue on top of his head. _Had the man had blue hair?_

_Dear me._

_Blue? Blue?!_

"Oi Grimm!", a very, very tall and very skinny man, with shoulder long black hair and a bandana covering his left eye shouted at the blue haired surfer, "Get yer lazy, fat ass here n'help us set tha shop, ya fag!"

The blue haired man - _Grimm? Strange name, but it had an appeal to it _\- busted into a contagious, throaty laughter, making Ichigo chuckle along quietly. He watched enthralled while the man turned the pointy edge of the board upwards, ending on top of the wave, letting it guide him until it splashed on the shore. _The man was flawless. _Ichigo observed in endless fascination as he jumped off the surfboard and flipped the bird to the Bandana guy.

Although they weren't very close to where Ichigo was seated, he could make out some of the words they exchanged. The first thing his ears caught was a low growl from the blue haired God, _er_, man that had liquid fire pooling at his groin area.

"Go fuck yerself, Nnoi."

Nnoi, aka Bandana guy, bristled, a displeased frown marring his features. "Ain't nobody got time fer that, pretty boy. Shiro's been all over m'ass the past twenty minutes yer out here ridin' everythin' that moves!"

Grimm barked a gruff laugh at the rather obvious innuendo, making little Ichigo stir angrily in the oranget's trunks. _Just what the eff?_

"Shiro's always all over yer ass. He is all over everybody's ass. Get over it," the blunet sighed dismissively, bending down to pick up his surfboard and at the same time giving a very detailed image of his firm backside to Ichigo.

_Hoo boy, he was almost ready to spread himself naked and hard to the bigger man._

Even from a distance, Ichigo could see just how perfect the blunet actually was; his shoulders were broad and toned, swimmer-like built, tanned skin taut over mouthwatering musculature, black swimming trunks hanging low on narrow hips, ending into miles long legs. _Ah_. Ichigo hadn't seen sight that perfect in... well, forever and he was about to stand to his feet and speak to the man, had not the said blunet beat him to it first.

The blue head snapped at him, enticing lips parting ever so slightly while the man's eyes widened in awe. Ichigo's face ignited, heart threatening to bust out his chest and everything. He averted his gaze, suddenly feeling shy. _Ichigo!_, he chided himself, _Don't be a girl!_

Gathering his wits, he chanced a glance at the blue haired man and in his utter astonishment, the man was walking confidently towards him, narrow hips swaying in a rhythmic way, defined abdomen flexing and relaxing with every step. _Oh Gawd._ Ichigo wasn't an overly dramatic person but right now all he wanted was to roll on the sand screaming, nosebleeding the whole way.

Once the man was one step away from Ichigo, he kneeled down, lowering to Ichigo's eye level. _Holy shit._ Because of their proximity, Ichigo's breath was stolen away by a pair of ocean-blue, ultramarine with a dash of azure eyes staring intensely inside his brown ones.

"Sup," the man spoke, the gravelly deep baritone had all hairs on Ichigo's body stand to attention.

"Everything's good," Ichigo responded, unable to tear his eyes away from the angelic face in front of him.

Grimm's smile widened, if that was even possible, and sat down next to him, one long leg straight, the other folded towards that gorgeous, chiseled chest. By now, Ichigo was inwardly swooning like a fan girl but on the outside, he kept the "calm and composed" attitude he always had.

"Yer a newbie?", Grimm asked after a while of comfortable silence. Blue eyes were twinkling with genuine interest and curiosity, making Ichigo's always-low confidence to crack up a notch.

"Maybe...", he smirked flirtatiously, so out of character for him, "Why?"

Grimm chuckled huskily, leaning closer to Ichigo's ear. "'Cause, I'd remember whether I'd seen someone with such beauty as yours er not, ginger," the ethereal man whispered, sensually nonetheless.

Ichigo's smirk faltered dramatically as he blushed like there was no tomorrow, heart dancing like Beyoncé in _Déjà vu _at the root of his tongue, his mind working a thousand miles per millisecond, while he stared at his lap, dumbfounded. _Beauty? Damn, that man knew what he was doing_. And it was working because he was almost strumming Ichigo like an electric guitar. _And he was so close!_ Ichigo could practically smell his skin; a mixture of the ocean and masculinity.

_Jesus Christ on crack. Maybe Grimm was the lost son of Dionysus after all. Dionysus and Aphrodite's son. Yeah. That would make sense._

A noiseless chuckle fluttered the sensitive hairs at the nape of Ichigo's neck, making the ginger jerk ever so slightly. "So," Grimm drawled, "Ya got a name, beautiful?"

Ichigo swallowed thickly. "I-Ichigo Kurosaki," he stuttered dumbly, voice breaking and all. _Shit. Smooth, Ichigo, very smooth._

"Oh, what a nice name. I've never heard it before," The blue haired man crooned, voice amused. "I like that."

"I was born to pleasantly surprise it seems," Ichigo replied to the complement with a sweet smile. _And to be unpleasantly surprised_, he acidly added in his mind but didn't let it show. "So, what's _your_ name?"

"Grimmjow," the blue haired man answered, ruffling his sexily disheveled and damp blue hair, "Grimmjow Jaegerjaques. Some people call me Grimm, others go with Blue or Jag. You choose."

Ichigo bit his lip, watching in satisfaction and slight amusement Grimmjow's pupils dilate. "Grimmjow's fine, I can work with it," he finally said, allowing a small smile to tilt his full lips upwards.

Grimmjow's face split into two from the shit-eating grin he suddenly let loose. "It sounds so much better when you say it. My name I mean." The blue-haired man sighed. "Yer voice is criminal."

"Hmm," the oranget hummed, trying to keep a staight face and not grin like the cat which got the milk, "I really hope there ain't cops around to arrest me. That'd be a total bummer."

A blue eyebrow cockily rose as the blue-haired man studied him in disbelief and a hint of amusement. Ichigo instantly felt self conscious; _what? Had he said something lame again?_

Just when he was about to open his mouth and ask the other man what was wrong, Grimmjow chuckled quietly and shook his head. "That's actually the first time somebody has so seriously smart-talked back to me," the blunet said in amusement, "Woo boy, I'm speechless."

_Really? His line wasn't all that fabulous to begin with. Meh, maybe Grimmjow was being polite. _"Yay me," Ichigo shrugged with a playful grin, "I took one of your firsts and you certainly don't look like someone who has many firsts left."

Grimmjow licked his lips slowly and Ichigo had to follow the movement like a hungry hyena. "S'kinda hot when you talk like this, you know. I may hafta do somethin' about it," the blunet stated, with an playful/mischievous smile of his own.

"Lucky you, the ocean is right here." _Dawg, he was on a roll today. It was the sun, it had to be._ "Might as well dive in to cool off," Ichigo retorted, loving their little exchange a little too much. It was the first time someone as gorgeous as Grimmjow looked so genuinely interested in him and it felt as if his broken male pride was slowly getting to its feet again.

_Pft. Yeah. Baby steps, but it was something._

The blunet snickered again, scooting a little closer, his long, delicate fingers shooing one stray tuff of orange hair away from the oranget's eyes. "Some fires don't go out with plain water, ginger," the man husked sexily and the goosebumps were back full force.

"Some don't go out at all, Grimmjow," Ichigo said breathlessly. Blue eyes locked on his moving lips, then back into his eyes and Grimmjow bit his lower lip. _Hoo boy. That was intense._

"Which type of fire are you?"

Ichigo smirked through his haze. "Where's the fun if I tell you? You have to find out."

Grimmjow grinned broadly, his wonderful eyes lighting up with interest. "Challenge accepted," said the man and slowly moved away, taking his mouthwatering scent along with him, allowing Ichigo to breath for a chance.

"Speaking of fires," the blunet soon added, "Will I see ya at the bonfire tonight?"

Ichigo blinked. _Bonfire? He could recall hearing about a bonfire but he couldn't... - oh_. It suddenly dawned on him. "Oh. Shuuhei has already invited us."

One blue eyebrow reached Grimmjow's equally blue hairline. "Ya know Shuuhei?" Ichigo nodded.

"Arite," the blunet then continued, "We organize it every year at this period usually." He chuckled, turning his blue eyes towards the sea. "It has the best waves this time of the year, and it's the coolest thing ever to surf at night..." Grimmjow glanced back at Ichigo who hadn't stopped looking at the other's full lips, not even one second. "Do you surf, Ichigo?"

The oranget slightly shuddered, hiding it with a subtle shift of his position. _Man, that voice was all kinds of bed worthy, especially the way it wrapped around his name like a silky scarf. He could just come by listening to Grimmjow saying his name. _Blushing at his naughty thoughts, Ichigo cleared his throat before he replied.

"No," he said, shaking his head negatively, "Definitely not."

Grimmjow quirked one blue eyebrow. "Why not?"

Ichigo pursed his lips together in consideration; inwardly he was cackling, thoroughly amused by the look of genuine curiosity and astonishment on the blunet's face, as if not surfing was a crime. _Heh. What fun._

"Because," Ichigo sighed, "I'm sorta clumsy, in a very general and unspecified term."

"Clumsy?"

"More than you can imagine," Ichigo said chuckling, "I can trip on lean freaking asphalt."

The blue-haired man grinned brightly, a big, toothy grin that depleted Ichigo's air supply completely. "That's cute."

Ichigo's eyebrows reached his hair line, staring incredulously at the surfer. "It ain't cute. I look stupid and retarded."

Cheshire grin still in place, Grimmjow leaned closer again, his long, elegant fingers traced a path on Ichigo's angular jaw, sending furry bunnies all over his skin. His breath even hitched in his damned throat, coming out shuddering and screaming like a banshee as those scorching fingers found their way to his over-sensitive neck.

"No worries," Grimmjow murmured in his ear and Ichigo almost let out a very loud, unmanly and wanton moan. "I can carry you in my arms any time. Just gimme a shout."

_Sparks_. Finally, his useless pile of goo he called brain managed to muster a word for what existed between him and Grimmjow. Sparks of passion, desire, pesky sexual tension...

_Hnghaaah._

"T-That's nice of you." _Really? Stuttering like a teenage girl while being a MALE in his mid twenties? Nicely done, Kurosaki Ichigo._

The surfer grinned, releasing Ichigo from the spell of eye and skin contact. "So, yer comin' to the bonfire?", he asked once more, blue eyes twinkling like stars. Ichigo simply nodded, unable to find his tongue in that desert of a mouth. _And he had been playing the blue-haired man so nicely before..._

"Perfect," Grimmjow said, standing up with one swift movement that had Ichigo gaping. "I hafta run now, ginger, but I'll catch up wit'cha tonight, 'kay?"

"Sure."

Grimmjow turned on his heel and jogged away, shouting something the orange head didn't catch. His brain was preoccupied with the visual stimulation of those mouthwatering, firm butt cheeks, oh so beautifully displayed by the wet swimming trunks the blue-haired man wore. Being a man with a very intense ass fetish, Ichigo wanted - no needed - to feel those pieces of art under his fingers, or maybe he could feel them on a more intimate part of his body... But ah, what a dilemma; as much as he'd loved to fuck the man, he was looking forward to be fucked by him too. _Those powerful thighs, those hands? Those beautiful, full lips? Holy cow._

_Grimmjow could positively make him scream the bloodiest murder._

_He needed that. He really, really needed that. To forget about that asshole, Kaien; forget about how much of a loser he had made Ichigo feel._

_Okay, enough._ Ichigo sucked a shaky breath through the nose, trying to calm the now awake and growling beast that practically instructed him to run after Grimmjow and do the nastiest things to him. _Oh, he was such a horny motherfucker._ On the other hand, it was somehow natural; it'd been a while since the last time he got some of the... _You know... The good stuff_, that his body was craving for a caress, a kiss... Oh, how he missed it... Sex, foreplay - _god, the foreplay_ \- oral pleasure, given or taken, he didn't care.

And here comes Grimmjow and sets everything on fire with his large, calloused hands, his gruff voice, his sexy grin, his smell, his-

Ichigo facepalmed. He had to stop thinking about the blue-haired man unless he wanted his lead pipe to become a public spectacle.

_Cold water. Yeah, cold water would put out the destructive fire within his starving body._ _For the time being._

_He would think about the man later._

Ichigo stood up, stretched and yawned, tripped on his feet twice before dipping into the cold ocean water. _Just like I thought; the ocean did come in handy._

**XXXX**

**Thanks for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Haiiii, it's been a while ^_^ uh, what can I say? Enjoy? And leave a comment... Pretty please?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of the characters.**

**XXXX**

"Get these boxes to the front. Hurry."

"Aye."

His friend gave him a suspicious look. "You're surprisingly obedient. Something happened?"

Grimmjow gave his childhood friend, Starrk, a goofy grin. Other than the fact that he found the finest human being existing in this universe? "Nah, nothing too exciting," he said while he picked up a huge beer box in his strong arms and headed to the front. Starrk's eyebrows had reached his hairline in shock and the blue-haired man grew a little defensive. "What?"

"Well, this isn't exactly what you call your normal behavior," the handsome brunet stated blankly, pushing aside the dark-blue curtain and making his way to the bar, the same beach bar they had built with their own hands, "Did you smoke anything funny again?"

The surfer let down the heavy box and rubbed his sore back. Ever since he got back from the beach, Starrk had been bossing him around nonstop to gather all the drinks, set them in place, clean the glasses, the stools, the bar and the wooden tables, so that everything would be ready for their customers that night. It was the annual beach party after all, when all the surfers and party animals of the town came around to get drunk and laid. "You know Starrk," Grimmjow sighed and opened the beer box, "I give you hard time; you complain, I'm being nice; you complain again. Just what the fuck you want me ta do anyway?"

The brunet shrugged and yawned lazily. "Dunno, be yerself I guess," he murmured and began stuffing the freezer with the bottles, "Let's just finish this so we can go to bed. I'm freakin' tired."

Grimmjow couldn't help but chuckle. "You're always freakin' tired Starrk."

The brunet gave him a sheepish grin. "Oh shut up, not always."

"Oh not at all. You're the only person I know who can sleep two days straight."

"That was only one time and it was after exam period."

True. Grimmjow wouldn't admit it though. "Let's just get this over with," he grunted instead, scratching the back of his head tiredly, "I wanna go for a swim."

With a nod and a heavy sigh, Starrk picked up where he had left off and followed him suit, finishing what they had to do in a couple of hours. Grimmjow shooed Starrk away after a while because the man started sleeping and drooling on the tables he was supposed to be cleaning and that pissed the blue-haired man because it added to his chores.

It was so nice and quiet in there on his own. Not that Starrk made any form of noise, on the contrary actually; he was one of Grimmjow's quiestest friends.

Without realizing, the blue-haired man was humming a random melody, enjoying the rare peacefulness of the whole situation as he went through all the surfaces with the rag, his mind drifting off to the gorgeous redhead he met at the beach. Was he a redhead really? His hair was orange-like, not red-red. So weird. But so beautiful at the same time. Was it real? Grimmjow guessed it was real, considering that the man's eyebrows were the same color. He shouldn't be the one talking though, with that blue mess he called hair on top of his head.

A soft sigh left his lips and a smile tugged at the edges as he sat down on one of the stools. To be totally honest, Grimmjow hadn't seen a sight that beautiful in a really long while. He definitely appreciated all the hot bodies the fellow surfers had, yet the orange-haired man had a strange allure and that pulled Grimmjow in like a magnet. He couldn't really figure out what it was. The fiery hair on top of his head, that not-as-tanned skin, taut over lithe muscle? Perhaps. However, what captured Grimmjow's undivided attention was the ginger's eyes; the chocolate-brown, almond-shaped orbs hid the mysteries of the world within them. Grimmjow was very fond of riddles and puzzles.

He couldn't wait to figure this one out.

See, Ichigo had left him a little confused and intrigued. For one thing, Grimmjow could definitely spot the spitting fire in the other man's eyes, the undeniable hard-to-get attitude, yet he couldn't miss the unmistakable sadness that took over his expressive features every once in a while. Why sadness? Who in their right mind would ever try to hurt a creature like Ichigo?

Maybe he was imagining things. Yeah, Grimmjow was the kind of person who would read too much in every little thing someone would do or say. He could read people as easy as a book, but sometimes he was jumping into his own conclusions. _Oh well_, he thought and stood up to hide the rag,_ If he wants me to know, he'll tell me._

For the time being, he had some business to finish at the back of the shop. But that didn't mean he would stop thinking about the gorgeous orange head and his perfect smile.

_Damn. I can't wait until tonight._

**XXXX**

_Yeah... The water didn't help._

Every time his thoughts wandered back to the drop-dead gorgeous blue-haired man, Ichigo would feel his entire body reacting, whether that was his stomach clenching or his intimate parts tightening ever so slightly. Even his heart would join the company at times; that stupid little organ, who had been asleep and aching for so long, stuttered and fluttered at the mere though of those mesmerizing blue eyes.

How on earth could a pair of eyes be so goddamned beautiful?

Ichigo was currently on his way back to the tent he shared with Shinji and Renji. He had waited for the annoying duo to join him for a swim but since they never came, Ichigo decided it would be best if he returned. Besides, he was a little anxious about the night's events. He had never been to a bonfire before... Who was he kidding, he was mostly excited about seeing Grimmjow again. Maybe he would get to talk to him a little more, if, of course, his shyness and awkwardness didn't push the other man away. Hopefully he could bring out his flirty side, like he did not so long before... Well, Grimmjow brought it out of him, being so straightforward and all...

He was so deeply absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't realize it as he finally reached his destination. He didn't even notice Shinji approaching him from behind until the blond man spoke. "Oi Ich!", he called and Ichigo literally jumped and turned around at the same time from the astonishment. Shit, he really was out of it.

"Where've ya... Been..." Shinji trailed off upon studying Ichigo's face, blond eyebrows reaching up for his hairline. "What's with that face?"

"What face?" Ichigo asked, genuinely confused. Had he something on his face?

Shinji snorted. "Ich don't shit with me; ya got this silly smile on yer face. That hasta come from somewhere. Unless you were jerkin' off and yer still high from the post-coitus-"

"What the hell is the matter with you?!", Ichigo exclaimed, shocked and a little annoyed by his friend's strange conclusions but before he got angry and destroyed his good mood, he huffed the anger away. Shinji was always like that, so what was the point of getting mad?

"That should be my line," the blond retorted, crossing his arms over his chest, "So ya gonna tell me or what?"

"Tell you what?"

"Why you are so happy! Oh my God, Ich, get it together!"

Ichigo pursed his lips to a thin line and frowned, averting his gaze. Well damn Shinji for being so attentive to every little detail. Well, it wasn't such a shocker really, since Ichigo hadn't smiled for a really long time, but Shinji was by nature very aware of his surroundings. And very stubborn too. He wouldn't leave Ichigo be until the orange head spilled the beans, he could see it in these mustard-hued eyes. Not that Ichigo didn't want to tell his friend about Grimmjow, however he knew that once Shinji found out, there was going to be a third degree interrogation about every little thing Grimmjow did and said.

_Oh well, Shin will find out anyway..._

"Okay," he sighed and shrugged his shoulders, "So, I met this guy at the beach..."

As expected, Shinji's ears perked up at the new information. "This guy?"

"Yeah," Ichigo muttered and licked his lips before continuing, "And he... Flirted with me."

The blond gasped, hands covering his mouth, eyes wide. "And?!"

Ichigo swallowed, opened and closed his mouth but didn't say none of the things he had in his mind. In the end, he straightened his back, took a deep breath and said, "Well, long story short, I'll see him tonight. At the bonfire."

Shinji cheered rather loudly and started jumping around victoriously. Ichigo couldn't stop his eyes from rolling at the back of his head, but he laughed anyway. Shinji was such a spectacle, a living circus. But Ichigo could see exactly how happy his friend was about him, so he couldn't hate the peculiar ways Shinji found to express himself. The blond rambled about how Ichigo - his little baby - was a grown up now and that he made good friends; things that made Ichigo laugh even harder.

"Jeez, why're you so loud?", a groggy voice interrupted the commotion. Renji was coming out of their tent, rubbing his eyes, his tattooed eyebrows pulled together in a scowl, "What the fuck happened?"

"We disturbed your beauty sleep, little red? Sawwy," Ichigo teased, his mood significantly better than it had been in a really long while.

Renji flipped him the bird and scoffed, his eyes then falling on Shinji, who was still jumping. "What the fuck did ya give 'im?"

Although he would have normally snapped at the redhead, the blond beamed instead. "Ich's got a date!"

Renji's eyebrows flew to his hairline and he glanced at Ichigo. "Date?"

The orange-haired man felt heat creeping its way to his face and scratched the back of is neck nervously. "It's not a date, Shinji is just making things up again. He just said he'll see me at the bonfire."

"Who is 'he'?"

"It's a man Ichigo met at the beach and a little something-something has already started between them!", Shinji quickly explained, before Ichigo could even utter a word.

"It's not like that!", he protested, his anger rising up again, "He was just...like..."

"Flirting with you!"

"Well...yeah."

"Awww," Renji crooned and patted Ichigo on the back with a little too much force, "That is something! What's his name?"

Ichigo absently rubbed the abused spot. "Grimmjow," he muttered.

"And how's he like?", Shinji nudged him, wiggling his eyebrows, "Is he fuckable?"

Ichigo sighed. _There he goes_. The third degree he was talking about? "He is like...Tall, taller than me, swimmer-built, he surfs and...well, he has blue eyes and blue hair..." He stopped, scratching the back of his head and a grin found its way on his lips. "He is, like, so good looking... And seems like a very nice guy. He's fun. And he has a really nice smile."

"Oh sweet Jesus, yer whipped!", Shinji cheered and Renji nodded enthusiastically in agreement. Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"I'm not whipped," he grumbled and glared at his friends when they both have him their own version of incredulous look. "What? It just feels nice to...well, be liked by someone after so long!"

"Sure thing, but you've always had this weakness for blue and beauty," Renji said, quirking one eyebrow, "And dude combines both. Yer fuckin' losing yer mind for him."

"The idiot is right," Shinji added, ignoring the nasty glare Renji threw at him. Then he shrugged, "And even if yer not whipped, I think this Grimmjow guy will be a great distraction for you. You better not let your stupid insecurities take over."

Ichigo scowled. "I don't have insecurities."

His friends laughed dryly. "Right not at all," the blond added sarcastically.

Ichigo crossed his arms. "I don't have insecurities," he repeated. What are these two idiot talking about? Just because he felt inadequate and so-not-sexy, that didn't mean he had insecurities!

"Either way," Renji intervened, changing the subject, "I heard they also host a beach party tonight before the bonfire. At least that's what the dude from the next tent told me. It's the annual surfer party or something of that short..."

"We are definitely going," Shinji nodded and clapped his hands, "We'll meet new people!"

"Nah, I don't wanna go. I'll just join you afterwards," Ichigo said. He didn't want to go to a party. He didn't want to meet people. He just wanted to be with Grimmjow. Was that too much to ask?

"No way!", the blond man shook his head, "You're coming with us!"

"Aw, c'mon!"

"I ain't takin' no for an answer!" And with that said, the blond shoved Ichigo towards Renji's truck, where they kept their clothes - thanks to Shinji who brought his entire wardrobe with him. "We gotta make ya fine as eff, so that this Grimmjow guy falls harder fer ya!"

"Shinji, shut up."

"Take care, ladies!", Renji waved with a big grin, "I got some business to attend to!"

"No one cares!", Shinji retorted and Ichigo had to roll his eyes when Renji yelled something crude in response.

His friends were total idiots.

Back to the situation at hand though; aka, Shinji pushing him around. Hella annoying. But knowing pretty well that resisting wouldn't bring him any success, Ichigo let his friend do his thing and waited patiently as Shinji flickered through outfits, muttering "no, no" or "too slutty" or "pink doesn't suit Ich". In the end, the whole scene of random clothes flying here and then was so hilarious that Ichigo busted out laughing.

However, Shinji didn't find it as funny. "Stop laughing stupid and start changing outfits! Move out!"

Ah. Would he ever get used to Shinji's overwhelming actions of affection? The answer was no, simply because Shinji never stopped surprising him. The blond had his own ways and Ichigo dared to say he was kinda used to him by now. Kinda. Shinji cared about him a lot and it was adorable, and to be totally honest, he tried to make Ichigo happy more than the orange-haired man did.

_Shit, I'm such a terrible friend._

"So, Ich, I was thinking this would go well with..." The blond paused, studying Ichigo's face carefully before frowning. "What's the matter?"

With a heavy sigh, Ichigo shook his head and shrugged. "Nothing. I'm just grateful you're my friend."

Shock was clearly written all over the blond's face but in the end he flashed his notorious, piano-tooth grin and patted the top of Ichigo's head. "I love you, baby," he said, "All I want is to see you happy again." There was a brief pause and before Ichigo even opened his mouth to speak, Shinji was all over the place again. "So how do you feel about polka dots?"

The orange-haired man facepalmed and chuckled. Shinji's attention span was so incredibly short it could give him a whiplash. But it was okay. It shooed away Ichigo's negative vibes, simply because it distracted his attention as well. As a matter of fact, after that sweet moment, the two friends began arguing about whether polka dots on shirts were cool or not.

"Just promise me you'll give this man a chance," Shinji said after a couple of hours, when they had finally found something appropriate - in Shinji's opinion - for Ichigo to wear to the party. Brown locked with golden and Ichigo pressed his lips together.

"And you promise me you won't do anything to embarrass me in front of him."

He didn't like the teasing grin that suddenly appeared on his friend's face. He really didn't like it. "No, I can't give promises I can't keep," the little devil said and skidded away.

Ichigo shook his head and entered their tent, hoping to find some peace and quiet and catch some zees to be able to stay awake for the party. He had to clear his mind people, to relax his poor nerves, which were taut like guitar strings. Shit, he was nervous, don't judge him. Just thinking about meeting Grimmjow again made his systems go nuts.

Let's just hope that all this anxiety would be worth it.

**XXXX**

"Do we have clean glasses?", Starrk shouted over the blasting music, the customers' shouting sing-along and laughter.

Grimmjow turned to his friend while making a cocktail and nodded, bending over to pick up a tall glass from the bottom counter and pushing it towards Starrk. "Here!"

"Thanks man!"

Jeez, they were so busy. So freaking busy. Grimmjow always forgot how busy they got every year because of this party. But it was a good thing; the income from this night was enough to feed Grimmjow for at least one month, maybe two. Plus, he kinda enjoyed this event; what was funnier than a couple of happy and/or drunk people slurring nonsense here and there, or flirting with him or getting naked and skinny-dipping in the ocean. The latter wasn't exactly very safe, because of the risks of drowning but Grimmjow had a parallel job as a lifeguard so he could help any time.

A couple of customers called his name, trying to place their order over the music and Grimmjow grinned at them, getting to work immediately. He loved working with alcohol as much as he liked drinking it. Making cocktails was his thing, after swimming and surfing of course, and he was pretty damn good at it, however, he wasn't the kind of person who drank to get drunk. One good drink was enough. Either way though, Grimmjow couldn't get drunk. No way. No matter how much alcohol he consumed. For some reason, he had never gotten drunk. Tipsy, yes. But drunk... Never. Nevertheless, he wasn't very keen on the idea of losing control of his body and doing shit he would probably regret the next morning.

"Oi Grimm," a familiar voice grunted, "Move yer ass over, I brought clean glasses."

Grimmjow glanced at his other good friend, Nnoitra, the lanky freak of seven feet height and long black hair, and scooted over, despite the man's rude tone. He couldn't blame Nnoi for being grumpy; he was in charge of the cleaning and therefore he was shoved in the back, missing the party. He would occasionaly pop up to re-stock them on the glasses though and drink some.

"How's it goin'?", he asked.

"Pretty good," Grimmjow sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, "The demand is high and cash is comin' in."

"Awesome," Nnoitra nodded, "I got rent to pay."

"Same."

Nnoitra nudged his ribs and grinned at him widely. "Did ya find someone interesting?"

Blue eyes rolled and Grimmjow shook his head negatively. On one hand, he had been way to busy to look for someone interesting, but on the other hand, his mind was solely occupied by a certain orange-haired man and he wasn't willing to let anyone else take that place. Ah, he would get to see him in a few hours, at the bonfire... Grimmjow really couldn't wait, it felt like ages-

Suddenly everything came to a halt. As soon as Grimmjow looked away from his friend, towards the jumping crowd, he spotted that unmistakable orange hair. At first he thought it was his mind playing tricks on him, however, he soon realized that a few meters away from him stood his favorite ginger indeed. Ichigo was glancing right and left with confusion and a little bit of hesitation in his eyes, looking so damn fine with his black shorts, his white-and-blue stripped tee on top and the white flip-flops, that Grimmjow had to fan himself a little. "Damn," he sighed and scratched the back of his head with a lazy grin. _Shit, he looks so much more perfect than in my memories._

"Damn indeed," Nnoitra agreed, his voice a little lower than before, "Who's that babe walking next to yer ginger?"

Blue eyes momentarily left the magestic being called Ichigo and glanced to where Nnoitra was looking, only to roll his eyes at how predictable Nnoitra's taste was. Next to the orange-haired man stood a shorter, slender man, with shoulder-length blond hair and an equally searching look on his face. "Yet another one of yer bleached boys, Nnoi," Grimmjow chuckled in amusement.

"Shut yer mouth, Grimm. He's a natural blond."

Grimmjow had to laugh at that. That was his argument? "Yeah well, s'cool and all but now get yer ass back to the kitchen."

"Nah man, fuck you," Nnoitra scoffed and whacked him at the back of his head before walking away, "I'm goin' after _that_ ass." And with that, he was already on the way to hunt the poor blond down.

The blue-haired man gave his friend an amused stare before turning his attention back to Ichigo, only to gasp in astonishment as these pretty brown eyes stared straight into his. Ichigo quickly averted his gaze and scratched the back of his head, but then he hesitantly glanced back at the blue-haired man. By that moment, all Grimmjow wanted to do was jump and tackle the adorably shy man to the ground and cuddle the life out of him. Despite how strong that urge was, Grimmjow fought against it and with his index finger, he beckoned at the other.

A small smile lifted the edges of these beautiful lips and Ichigo pointed at himself, mouthing, "Me?"

_Damn, that little piece of shit is playing with me_, Grimmjow thought to himself and promptly felt his stomach flaming, _So he's a shy flirt? Fuck. So hot. _

"Yeah you," Grimmjow nodded as he kept inviting the man over with his finger.

Ichigo flashed one of his dazzling grins and turned to the blond next to him, obviously to tell him that he was coming to the bar. But then the blond glanced towards the bar and as soon as he became aware of Grimmjow, his eyes widened and his mouth fell open. The blue-haired smirked, amused by the fact that Ichigo elbowed the man and scowled deeply. They exchanged a couple of heated words before the ginger was finally walking towards the bar, briefly glancing around to the dancing bodies. Grimmjow smiled; he was avoiding eye contact. That was fine. They would make enough eye-contact later, Grimmjow would make sure of it.

Ichigo's eyes were finally on him when he was by the bar. "Hey," he said almost timidly. Almost.

"Hey yourself," Grimmjow grinned and propped himself on the counter, inching as close as common courtesy allowed him to, "You settled down?"

"Ugh," Ichigo groaned and rolled his eyes, "As much as I can settle down with two idiots in the same tent."

"Two?"

"My friends Shinji and Renji."

Renji? That sounded familiar... Oh! That had to be the sexy redhead with the tattoos Shuuhei hadn't shut up about. So the blond one had to be Shinji. Grimmjow didn't know why but he was happy to know about Ichigo's friends. "Are they fighting?"

Ichigo nodded with a dramatic expression on his pretty face. "You have no idea," he sighed, "But let's talk about something else."

"Before we talk about that something else, tell me what can I get you?", Grimmjow suggested and got ready to impress, "Cocktails are my specialty."

"Hmm... You got tequila? I need something strong."

"But that's not a cocktail..."

The ginger smiled at him. "I know. Let's do some shots together, 'kay?"

After spending some time eyeing him carefully, Grimmjow finally grinned. "Sure," he said and picked up the bottle of tequila, two shot glasses, the lime and the salt. Ichigo watched him closely, observing his hands carefully as Grimmjow got everything ready for the first round. Jeez, he looked so freaking expectant as soon as he got the little shot in his hands. "Bottoms up," Grimmjow smirked, bumping his glass against Ichigo's.

Ichigo shrugged playfully. "And the devil laughs."

Grimmjow was about to shoot back the alcohol but he stopped to laugh at what Ichigo had said. "He laughs huh?"

His brown eyes were shining in amusement and Ichigo quickly downed his drink, satisfaction written all over his face as soon as he swallowed. "Ah, let him laugh," he sighed, "We're all going to hell anyway."

The blue-haired man followed him suit and finished his drink in one go, licking the salt and acid off his lips before he spoke, "Why you say that?"

"It's simple, really," Ichigo quirked one of his eyebrows and bit his lower lip, "Tell me one for the seven deadly sins you haven't fallen into yet."

Grimmjow pondered on the idea and tapped his chin. Wrath... Well, he tent to snap easily and get angry a lot. Greed, sloth and pride... He wasn't really greedy or lazy but he was kinda proud as a person. Envy... He was jealous, but only because he was possessive. Gluttony... That one was one hundred percent because he loved eating a lot... And lastly; lust. He eyed Ichigo, who was still looking at him, clearly expecting an answer and licked his lips slowly, hungrily.

_Yeah. He knew about lust alright._

"I am going to Hell," Grimmjow said in the end, earning himself a soft chuckle from the ginger.

"See? I told you."

"What about you though?", was Grimmjow's next question.

Ichigo tilted his head to the side in the most adorable questioning expression Grimmjow had ever seen in his life. "What about me?", he parroted.

"Which one of the deadly sins you've fallen into lately?" The dry chuckle that escaped the beautiful, full lips made Grimmjow realize that he had somehow stepped on a dangerous territory. "If you wanna tell me that is."

"It's fine," Ichigo shrugged, even though he looked a little bit bitter, "I've been really into wrath lately."

"Wrath?"

"Yup." A sigh. "I was pretty angry up until recently. See, I just got out of a rather...messy relationship."

Albeit he knew he was being a nosy son-of-a-bitch, Grimmjow couldn't stop his curiosity. "Messy?"

The orange-haired man nodded and pursed his lips into a thin line. "Basically, he was cheating on me with a woman."

Grimmjow wrinkled his nose in disgust. Uh, duh, cheating on your significant other is so not cool. It was a huge blow on the other's ego. "Ouch."

"Tell me about it," Ichigo said and shifted on his legs, propping himself on his elbows. He gave Grimmjow an almost pleading expression. "But let's talk about something else, more pleasant."

Grimmiow suddenly caught up with how nosy he had been acting and he mentally scolded himself. He couldn't help it though. He wanted to know more about the orange-haired man, to answer all these questions that had been boggling his mind all day. At least now he knew the reason behind the sadness in Ichigo's eyes. But still, he had to do tha right thing and apologize. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry or anything."

Ichigo shook his head in amusement and he gently tapped Grimmjow under the chin. "Relax soldier," he said, "It's not that you forced me to tell you."

Trying to hide exactly how much that short contact had turned him on, Grimmjow nodded. "Fair enough." He lifted the tequila bottle and filled their glasses again. "Down for another one?"

"Always." When Grimmjow was done, the both lifted their shot glasses in the air and their eyes met. "To unfaithful exes."

"...And future lovers," Grimmjow added, not caring that he was being way too obvious. It earned him another one of Ichigo's smiles, so he could live with it.

"And future lovers," Ichigo reciprocated and they both downed the shot at the same time, biting the lemon slice in the end.

"Ah shit, it burns," Grimmjow breathed and cleared his throat.

"That's the best part of it," Ichigo commented, his nose wrinkling and his eyes narrowed from the same burning sensation Grimmjow was talking about.

It was nice like this. Despite the heaviness of the atmosphere when Ichigo was talking about his ex, it felt good to sit there and throw back shot after shot, while opening up to each other. Although Grimmjow hadn't really told much about himself yet, he could feel that it was his turn. Because Ichigo's eyes were focused on the blunet's wrist and soon enough, his hands were turning Grimmjow's hand so that the palm was facing upwards.

See, Grimmjow had a tattoo on said wrist. The Chinese Yin-Yang. Ichigo stared at it for a while, tracing it with his fingers and giving Grimmjow goosebumps, but in the end, he looked up and said, "That's pretty."

"Thanks," Grimmjow grinned, "I feel that it's something we should all keep in our minds."

"There is a balance between two opposites, with a little bit in each," Ichigo muttered absently, never breaking their eye contact, "Isn't this what the proverbs say?"

"Yeah, it's also like...blue and orange," Grimmjow drawled and let his fingers slide over Ichigo's sharp jawline. He licked his lips when he saw these gorgeous brown eyes darkening a little at the contact, "They are complementary colors; one completes and makes the other better."

Ichigo hummed softly and sighed, his warm breath brushing over Grimmjow's lips in the most sensual way possible. "I like the way you said this..."

Holy shit, that was intense. Grimmjow's mind went blank, the world around him completely forgotten. He could almost taste him, there mouths mere inches away from one another... Ichigo had even closed his eyes and waited and Grimmjow was about to kiss him and-

"Hey, Grimmjow!"

Starrk's voice abruptly cut through their moment and Grimmjow could swear to everything Holy in this world that he would kill his best friend in the most violent way possible. The savage urge got worse when Ichigo's eyes snapped open and he pulled away from Grimmjow, scratching the back of his neck while a blush swallowed his entire face and neck. He turned his head and glalred daggers at the brunet who had the audacity to look amused. "Starrk," he growled, "Can't you see I'm fuckin' _busy_?"

"Oh yes, of course I can see that you're busy," the evil - soon to be dead - man chuckled and walked closer to them, his grey eyes fixed on Ichigo. "Hello," he greeted the orange-haired man, offering his hand, "I am sorry to interrupt you two. I'm Starrk by the way."

Ichigo gave him a weak smile and shook his hand. "Ichigo. Nice to meet you."

"Same here," Starrk hummed with a lazy smirk, "I'm guessing you're the reason Grimmjow had been in such good mood today, right?"

Brown eyes blinked in confusion. "Eh?"

Grimmjow clenched his fists to stop himself from strangling his best friend. "Starrk," he hissed, "Don't you have somewhere to go?"

Starrk gave him a sideways and very teasing grin. "I do," he said, "We all do. We're going to get the fires going. Wanna join us?"

Shit, he had completely forgotten about that. As a matter of fact, with a quick glance around him, Grimmjow realized in his utter astonishment that there were no more people partying and drinking all over the place, the loud music gone along with them. Okay, that was a first; to lose himself completely in another person's eyes. Grimmjow glanced at Ichigo, who seemed to be in the same state of shock, and quirked one eyebrow. "So? What do you say?"

Ichigo nodded enthusiastically. "Heck yeah. That's why I came here tonight."

Grimmjow placed a hand over his chest, frowning a little too dramatically. "You mean you didn't come here for me?"

The brunet next to him laughed loudly when Ichigo dumbfounded him with a surpisingly flirty smirk and a wink. "I'm good at multitasking."

That left the blue-haired man high and dry and very aroused. Like he said, Ichigo was shy but a flirt nonetheless and that was incredibly hot. He kept Grimmjow on the edge, not knowing what to expect and that made liquid fire spread through his veins. He hoped, he really begged the Gods that Ichigo would stay in the camp for a while. _Ask him how long he'll be staying_, he mentally noted and a grin found its way to his face.

Grimmjow wanted to take his time with this one. Whether he got sex in the end he didn't care, although he definitely wanted some one-on-one time with the sexy ginger. Grimmjow had this feeling that Ichigo was a keeper. And all that was left to do was to confirm this suspicion of his.

_Time. All he needed was a little bit of time._

**XXXX**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing the previous chapter :D**


	3. Chapter 3

***sweats* ...it's been over a year. I can explain.**

**Actually, wait, I can't. I got zero excuses other than the fact that I hate(d) my writing and I didn't feel like continuing this. Also, I didn't have time during the year to write, so there's that too.**

**Either way, to whoever is still reading this shit - enjoy, pal!**

**XXXX**

Ichigo felt like he wanted to puke his stomach. How the fuck that worked he wasn't sure but he wanted to do it.

Glancing at the blue-haired man walking next to him (who was by the way still arguing with his friend, Starrk) Ichigo wondered, _What the hell am I doing?_ He was actually _flirting_ with Grimmjow, which was so out of character for him and it felt so fucking good but so odd at the same time because it was like...it wasn't _him_ but another person doing the sexy antics, yet, Ichigo knew he didn't have dissociative identity disorder and just recalling that fact that he and Grimmjow _almost_ kissed, made him want to crawl in a whole and die from the embarrassment and scream in frustration that it didn't happen at the same time and-

His erratic thoughts were cut short because his balance started faltering. It wasn't fucking funny. There was one fucking elevation on the sandy ground and Ichigo was tripping all over it and his mouth would have been stuffed with sand, if it wasn't for these strong arms that held onto him, preventing his fall. Ichigo looked up to worried blue eyes and promptly felt his cheeks flood with blood. _Great. So fucking smooth, Ichigo Kurosaki. You're a fucking charmer._

"You okay, ginger?", the blue-haired sweetheart asked, genuinely concerned instead of busting out laughing at his clumsiness. His awkward embrace remained and all Ichigo wanted was to bury his face in that delicious chest but he contained himself by nodding and straightening up, dusting off the non-existing dirt from his shirt.

"Um, yes," he muttered, face in flames, "I'm sorry."

A smirk formed on Grimmjow's face and Ichigo suddenly found it hard to breathe. "Don't apologize, ginger," the man said coolly, "It happens to everybody. Besides..." His voice dropped a little, his pretty blue eyes brightening up with mischief and hope - how was that possible? "I could always hold your hand to keep you on track. If you want to, of course."

Ichigo wanted to melt and become a useless pile of goo that would get absorbed by the sand. _How can he be so perfect?,_ he wondered dreamily but on the outside, he put on his blank face and nearly scoffed, "I can keep myself on track just fine, thank you."

He instantly regretted it, as soon as the words came out of his mouth because Grimmjow's confident expression was replaced by devastation and the edges of his perfect lips turned downwards. "I-I didn't mean to offend you," he muttered nervously and Ichigo was at the point when he wanted to die. He didn't mean to dishearten the man; he was only trying to play hard-to-get! Only his poor, tortured soul knew how much he wanted to hold hands with Grimmjow, no matter how corny and stupid it was.

"I, um, I didn't mean...", he tried to patch things up, "Like, I didn't mean it like that and..." Grimmjow looking at him like a kicked puppy wasn't doing anything to help him formulate speech. In the end, Ichigo just huffed in frustration and facepalmed so hard he thought he saw stars. "Just... Please hold my hand."

With the corner of his eyes, just where he was peaking between his fingers, he saw Grimmjow's face personify uttermost shock before the man hid his face between his large, perfect hands and groaned loudly. Ichigo frowned in confusion and opened his mouth to speak but the moment he did, Grimmjow's head snapped up and he was staring at him with bright but dark blue eyes while biting his bottom lip. "You'll be the death of me," he simply murmured before Ichigo felt warm, strong fingers sliding into his.

Then after, the orange-haired man was too busy trying to slow down his heartbeat and redirect his blood from his cheeks to other parts of his body - like his fucking brain for example, because not only he was about to start blathering like an idiot, he was also about to faint. He averted his gaze when he caught Grimmjow staring at him when they started walking again, knowing very well that the man was grinning because of the blush on his face. Even though it was dark, the blush was just so much Ichigo knew it was visible.

"You are so cute," Grimmjow said, tracing Ichigo's thumb with his own soothingly but it wasn't doing much. Ichigo scowled.

"Don't look at me."

"Alright," Grimmjow chuckled and indeed looked away. In fact, he turned back to Starrk, who Ichigo had forgotten that tagged along and now he felt even more like an idiot, especially when he saw the brunet smirking in amusement, casually picking up the previous conversation, as if nothing embarrassing just happened.

"How many fires you've planned to set this year?", the blue-haired man asked.

Starrk shrugged. "I don't know, maybe thirty?"

_Thirty?_ "Holy shit, really?", Ichigo gaped.

The two men snickered simultaneously. "It's not really a big deal," the blue-haired man said, "We just gather a bunch of people and a bunch of dry twigs and poof! It's done. Besides, each group of friends or couples can set their own fire and gather around."

"So, what do you guys do during these...bonfire events?"

"Basically we drink some beer and talk about life," Starrk said and then he chuckled, "Other times we reminisce about the past. Other times..." The brunet smirked teasingly and winked. "...we make out with significant others."

Ichigo blushed but thank God he wasn't the only one. "Oi Starrk!", Grimmjow grumbled urgently, "Cut it out."

Starrk lifted both of his hands in front of him in the form of surrender, however, that didn't mean he had regretted his actions, if the cheeky but somehow lazy grin he wore was any indication. "Alright big guy, don't give yourself an aneurism," he joked, "Either way, I should probably go help out and leave you two lovebirds to your love-birding. Laters!"

Both Ichigo and Grimmjow rolled their eyes at the other man as he started skidding away to the chaos of people on the shore and Ichigo started feeling the awkward silence taking over.

"So," it was Grimmjow who broke it, "How long you're stayin' here?"

"Eh? Oh, a week or so."

Grimmjow frowned. "So little?"

Ichigo felt himself smile with confidence he didn't usually feel. "Why? You gonna miss me?"

The blue-haired man glanced at him, then turned his attention back to the sand on their feet and chuckled. "Don't ask questions like that, ginger. I think you already know that the answer is yes."

Well, he hadn't expected that. Or at least, he hadn't expected Grimmjow to be so blunt with his answer. So, he felt his stomach clench nervously and fill with some sort of fluttering - maybe butterflies? "Well, I'll avoid asking questions like this in the near future."

Grimmjow's hand, which was warm around his, tightened in a comforting and very cutely attention-seeking manner. "Lemme ask you a question in return," Grimmjow said and took a deep breath, "I know a nice place where we could watch the sunset... How would you feel if I invited you to join me there tomorrow?"

The grey sand was suddenly a very interesting option to stare at as soon as Grimmjow stopped talking, especially for Ichigo Kurosaki who was a shy nerd that couldn't function when a human being as attractive as Grimmjow was basically asking him out. "I guess it'll be fun," he shrugged lamely, but on the inside he was flailing all over the place.

"Yosh," the blue-haired man cheered quietly and when Ichigo turned to look at him, he wore one of his magazine-worthy grins, "I'll pick you up from your tent tomorrow, okay?"

Shit, that smile could brighten up the sky better than the sun itself. It made Ichigo smile a little too. "Okay."

Grimmjow had opened his mouth to say something else and he would have done just that, but unfortunately for him, there was a loud shriek that attracted both of their attentions and all of a sudden, Ichigo felt like killing someone. Preferably his blond best friend who was running up to him and Grimmjow, terror depicted on his features.

"Ichigo!", Shinji screamed and jumped Ichigo's bones, making him almost tumble over, "Help me!"

The ginger tried to hold himself and his friend upright, scowling the life out of his eyebrows. "For the love of God, Shinji," he huffed, exasperated, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Shinji looked up at him and there was fear in his eyes. "Ich, you gotta help me, a monster is chasing me!"

"Shinji if this is one of your pranks, I'll break your precious nose, I swear."

"I'm not kidding, Ich!", the blond whined, hugging him tight, "This lanky ass motherfucker is tryin' ta eat me Ich, help me!"

"Who?"

"That lanky freak with the eye-patch!"

Lanky freak with the eye-patch? This was so confusing and when he heard Grimmjow chuckle, he frowned some more. "What?"

The blue-haired man shook his head in amusement. "He means Nnoitra," he said and chuckled again when Ichigo blinked at him, "The lanky freak with the eye-patch is my friend Nnoitra."

Shinji finally separated himself from Ichigo and gave Grimmjow a look of disbelief. "And why is he after me?"

"Because yer blond. He's weak to blonds."

The blond facepalmed and groaned in such frustration that Ichigo felt all the murderous intents die down. He in fact grasped his friend's shoulder and squeezed in a soothing manner. Or so he tried. Because he remembered exactly how scary and creepy Nnoitra looked; he couldn't blame Shinji from freaking out. "Well, you could always try to be more open-minded..."

Shinji's head snapped up and glared daggers. "If the man courting me was as hot as yours I would be more _open-minded_ indeed," he clipped sarcastically, then glanced at Grimmjow with pleading eyes, "Would you mind a threesome?"

"Shinji!", Ichigo nearly screamed, slapping his friend's shoulder. Grimmjow, the filthy bastard, simply laughed.

"Nnoi ain't a bad guy," he said smoothly, "Give him a chance."

"So you _do_ mind a threesome," Shinji sighed dejectedly and looked back at Ichigo who was at the process of blushing and rolling his eyes. "I'm jealous."

"You're not jealous; you're an idiot," Ichigo deadpanned, now pushing his friend away, "Now leave. I was in the middle of something."

"Oh c'mon! Someone needs to cater for my poor ass!"

"Go bug Renji."

"That stupid monkey is probably fucking his new beau by now, plus, he's useless most of the times anyway."

The blond had driven him to the point of pinching the bridge of his nose and trying to breathe slowly. Couldn't he get the hint? He turned to Grimmjow with an apologetic expression. "Excuse my potty mouth," he said, then glared at his best friend, "Shinji, fuck off. _Now_. I said I was in the middle of something."

Shinji gasped loudly and clutched his chest and if Ichigo didn't know the man for the most of his life, he would have been convinced that he had indeed hurt his friend. Shinji was a really good actor, especially when he wanted things to go his way. Unfortunately for Shinji though, antics as such didn't work on Ichigo anymore. "You can gasp all you want, I don't give a shit."

"Maybe you're being a little too hard on him," Grimmjow butted in hesitantly, but when he saw the look of utter betrayal taking over Ichigo's face, he rushed to patch things up, "I mean, we're going to the shore anyway; he can tag along till there and then on, we can continue on our own."

Ichigo had opened his mouth to tell Grimmjow that he was being too nice and that Shinji was just being a huge drama queen but said blond beat him to it by crooning rather loudly with a grin on his face. "God, what a sweetie," he said and grabbed Grimmjow's hand in a vigorous handshake, "And since Ich is being a dick, I should finally introduce myself on my own; I'm Shinji Hirako."

More than just a little baffled by Shinji's short attention span, the blue-haired man played along. "I'm Grimmjow," he said, "Good to meet ya."

"You know, when I asked Ich to gimme a description of you a few hours ago, he just said you're "good looking" and all I gotta say is that my friend was a little too short on the complement." Shinji shook his head at Ichigo in disappointment. "I'm sure Greek Gods would be fucking jealous of how gorgeous you are."

Ichigo thought he couldn't be more embarrassed of his friend.

How wrong he had been.

_What the hell is Shinji doing?_

"Well, thanks," Grimmjow muttered with an uncomfortable smile, his blue eyes darting to Ichigo, who was redder than ever before by that point.

The redhead took a deep breath. "I thought I told you not to embarrass me in front of him."

Devil Shinji grinned sheepishly before turning to the blue-haired man and patting his shoulder. "Our Ich is a little shy," he said, "Go easy on him."

"That should be my line," the blunet quipped suddenly. He was scowling. "Stop making him so uncomfortable; he's your friend for fuck's sake." Annoyed blue locked with brown. "C'mon ginger, let's go."

Shocked but so fucking relieved by how fast Grimmjow had rushed to his rescue, Ichigo started to suspect that the blue-haired man was a superhero in disguise. Or at least something like that. "Thanks," he muttered with a grateful smile as soon as they started walking away from a frozen-in-shock Shinji, "And I am sorry about his behavior. His mouth is not usually connected to his brain."

Grimmjow shrugged nonchalantly. "S'good," he said, "I'm kinda used to this kind of behavior; Nnoitra is like that too."

Ichigo had to snort at that. "Then they are perfect for each other."

"Yeah, I think they could at least get along."

"You're too nice, trying to pair up people this way."

"Nah, it's not a matter of kindness," Grimmjow shook his head, "I just want to be alone with you with no interruptions."

Grimmjow's bluntness would soon make him a cardiac patient because the stupid thing called heart started stuttering all over Ichigo's chest once again. He was not well. Not at all. Almost as a reflex, he averted his eyes and gazed at the horizon, where little dots of red had started to appear. "I'm sorry to break it to you but I'm a rather boring person. I don't have all these fun situations people talk about," he said.

"Although I doubt that, it's still fine," Grimmjow chuckled, "You're still young; maybe the interesting things will come later in life."

"Or maybe not at all," Ichigo added.

Grimmjow stopped walking and when Ichigo finally looked up, he realized that the man was scowling and started to mentally freak out. _Shit, why can't I keep my mouth shut? _But before he started spouting stupid excuses, Grimmjow silenced him with his words.

"Don't be so pessimistic," he said, "You've been lucky enough to be born in this world, you've seen and heard and learnt so many things, so act like you're grateful. Because, like my grandfather used to say, the only bad thing about this life is that it ends too quickly and when you realize this, it'd be too late."

Ichigo was caught all the way off guard. He already felt like a huge idiot for saying what he said out loud before, but what Grimmjow told him made him feel like worst of trash. The fact that he was rather pessimistic by nature wasn't an excuse; he went to the camp with his friends to have fun; Grimmjow wanted him to have fun. So he might as well do that. Create the interesting things Grimmjow of so fondly talked about.

A smile grazed his lips when he said, "You're right. Thank you."

Relief washed over him when the blue-haired man's face softened once again. "S'good to see some happiness on your face," he said, tapping Ichigo's chin, "It suits ya."

"Well, you kinda brought it."

"And I plan on keeping it there," Grimmjow added triumphantly and without further ado, he linked their fingers once again, "C'mon; let's go find Starrk."

The rest of their journey of finding Starrk was basically dominated by Grimmjow's magical voice, which talked all about surfing and bonfire parties. The man said that although he loved this time of the year, they sometimes had bad turn of the events when drunk people decided to swim in the night. "Some drown," he had said with a sad expression on his face that told Ichigo there was something behind that sadness, something he didn't know but it went deep. Hesitant as he was, he didn't question it.

As they walked closer to the shore still hand-in-hand, the orange dots morphed to big-ass flaming nests with random and happy-looking people laughing, singing, talking, dancing around them. Some were drunk, some approached them and tried to coax them to stay with them but Grimmjow always explained that _we're here with company_, so they left them alone quickly.

Despite the crowd of people on their surroundings, finding Starrk wasn't as difficult; the tall brunet was chatting with an equally tall blond, tanned girl with huge breasts that made Ichigo's eyebrows rise to his hairline. But before he got the chance to say anything, Grimmjow was tagging him towards the two with nothing but excitement on his face. "Starrk, Tier," he called, "Finally found you!"

"About time you did," Starrk said and when his eyes drifted to Ichigo, a smirk took over his face, "I thought you two got yourselves some privacy."

Uncomfortable, Ichigo simply averted his gaze but Grimmjow glared at his friend on his behalf. "Quit being a dick," he muttered curtly.

"Can't give promises," the brunet chuckled before turning to Ichigo, "I forgot to introduce you; this is Tier." He motioned towards the expressionless blond, "Tier, that's Ichigo."

The woman simply nodded and Ichigo gave her a small smile. "Nice to meet you."

She didn't say or do anything else other than that and it gave Ichigo anxiety that he had done something wrong. Perhaps he was just being stupid but either way, he stuck next to Grimmjow and brought his attention to their conversation with Starrk instead.

"And you gotta be ready, my man," Starrk stressed with a serious expression, "A lot of drunk people will try skinny dipping tonight. I need you there for first aid, if accidents happen."

Grimmjow rolled his beautiful blue eyes. "Can't someone else do it for me tonight? I wanna spend time with Ichigo."

At the sound of these words, Ichigo felt like total shit. Yes, he knew he should be ecstatic - albeit a tad embarrassed - that Grimmjow so blatantly showed his interest in him, but he didn't want to be a burden. "No, Grimm," he cut them off, "Please, don't think of me - I mean, we are already going to be together tomorrow, so it's alright. Do your job tonight."

The blue-haired man pouted in the most adorable way possible. "But-"

Ichigo placed a finger on the man's lips, silencing him. "It's okay," he smiled, "We will be together nevertheless; you just keep your mind alert for potential accidents, okay?"

Grimmjow's piercing stare held him captive for a long while before the man finally sighed in defeat. "Alright," he muttered, taking a hold of Ichigo's hand as he turned to Starrk, "What he says, goes."

"Amazing," Starrk sighed in amusement, "Ichigo, tell me your secrets on making Grimmjow so obedient."

Ichigo felt heat rising on his face again. "I didn't-"

"He asks me nicely, Starrk," Grimmjow huffed in annoyance. But then, a slow grin spread on his face. "Also, I'm pretty fucking weak to these eyes."

Starrk snorted and for the first time during this whole conversation, Tier made a disgruntled sound. "This is so _gay_," she deadpanned and turned on her heel, "I can't bear to watch." And with that, she just...left.

"As if she's not gay at all," Grimmjow smirked after her.

"She's just jealous," Starrk cackled, his eyes falling on Ichigo, "She ain't got no beau, like you do."

"The struggles of the resting bitch face!" Grimmjow's strong arm was suddenly around Ichigo's waist, his lips bumping against Ichigo's temple. "Tell you what, ginger," he murmured and honest to God, Ichigo was about to shiver but forced it down, "Let's get to a place more private so we can talk."

Ichigo held on Grimm's black tee to regain his suddenly lost balance. "Weren't you supposed to-"

"Yes," the blue-haired man cut him off with a nod, "But I know a nice, isolated place where we can sit and watch all the shenanigans these drunkards decide to do. Join me?"

"Y-Yeah. Okay, sure, why not."

Grimmjow flashed that blinding grin of his one more time before turning to Starrk, who was smirking in amusement whatsoever. "Yo, we shall dismiss ourselves."

The brunet shrugged. "Enjoy yourselves, lovebirds. Just keep your mind off the clouds, Grimm."

"Yeah, yeah." Grimmjow then gently pulled Ichigo after him with an enthusiastic, "C'mon."

Unable to find proper words to express his feelings because, one; Grimmjow's presence was overwhelming and two; he was too busy trying not to stumble on every fucking taller-than-the-rest pile of sand, so he just scurried along with the blue-haired man, eyeing that broad back in mild amusement. He was having a fantastic time, he wasn't gonna lie; although he struggled to keep up with Grimmjow in both literal and metaphorical way, he felt rather light for once. Perhaps it was the tequila kicking in, perhaps it was the sea, the bonfires, Grimmjow's enthusiasm, hell, he didn't know; all he knew what that he was happy. And according to Grimmjow, that was all that mattered.

"Here we are," the man's voice drawled after a while of silence. Ichigo looked around him. They were far away from the fires, even though the music and the cheers were still audible, nearby the rocks on the other end of the beach. To Ichigo's utter relief, Grimmjow didn't make them climb any rock; he just settled on the sand right in front them and tapped the spot next to him.

"Come," he said with a smirk.

Sighing, Ichigo complied and took his rightful seat, crossing his legs Indian style. Then, a blue head flopped on his lap and bright blue eyes gleamed mischievously up at him while he stared at them in confusion. "Oh?"

Grimmjow grinned. "I hope you don't mind," he said, "Though if you do, I will sit right up, even though it'll break my heart."

Ichigo laughed. "No, it's alright." Then he paused, pondering. "But I will play with your hair."

"I am laying in your lap; you are obliged to play with my hair."

"Then we are good," was all Ichigo said before his fingered delved into that ridiculously blue hair. Then he frowned. "It's so soft," he whispered, confused and a little marveled.

Grimmjow snorted. "It's called conditioner."

Brown eyes rolled. "I use it too, dumbass. It's just that my hair ain't all that soft." Then he signed, a wave of melancholy filling him to the brim.

Grimmjow's sharp senses caught on it and he grasped Ichigo's free hand, leading it to his lips. "Hey," he murmured, "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Ichigo sighed, "I just have things on my mind."

"I'm hoping these things on your mind are me and only me, otherwise I'll get really jealous."

Ichigo chuckled airily. "It _is_ about you though."

Grimm's eyes lightened up, a smile forming on his face. "Oh?"

"Yeah," Ichigo nodded. Then he titled his head up, gazing at the sky and sighing again. "You're too perfect to be true."

What was he saying all of a sudden? That goddamned alcohol destroyed all filters he usually had for his damned mouth, there was no other explanation for the amount of bullshit coming out of him. Right, okay, that bullshit were his genuine thoughts and fears and insecurities but why the fuck was be sharing them with Grimmjow? With someone who was so clearly interested in him? Was he trying to turn him off subconsciously or something? Glancing down at the blue-haired man, Ichigo saw that previous smile slowly disappear from Grimmjow's face and he mentally cursed himself for that. "Sorry, I didn't mean-"

"I'm pretty sure you meant it more than you like to admit," Grimmjow cut him off curtly. Ichigo cringed. _Good, you annoyed him. Useless, as always._

"Sorry, I was-"

"Honest?" Grimmjow had this bad habit of not letting people finish their sentences. But it was okay; Ichigo was getting lost in the intensity of these blue eyes, his train of thought crashed.

To his silence, Grimmjow continued. "I like honesty, you know. And you don't have to pretend with me." A small smile. "Be yourself. Be your least perfect self. It's fine."

"No it's not." Ichigo shook his head vehemently. "Being myself is not something people like. Even I don't like it." He paused, wrinkling his nose. "I'm so...flawed."

"No one is perfect, Ichigo. As cliched as this may sound."

"You are perfect," he said, "Too perfect actually."

Grimmjow opened Ichigo's palm flat and pressed his thumbs on the pads of Ichigo's fingers. He looked preoccupied; not angry or uncomfortable as Ichigo had feared - just deep in thought. Apparently he was thinking of ways to either yell at him or excuse himself and escape the angsty bullshit Ichigo's existence always brought along.

Ichigo had just opened his mouth to say something which would break the silence when Grimmjow finally spoke up. "I'm annoyingly sarcastic and cranky when I'm hungry; I have a rather short temper for specific things, so I tend to snap lots; I am stubborn to the point of obsessive and very possessive of the people I'm into; I hate figs, like what's up with that shit, they smell weird and taste too sweet." He caught Ichigo's gaze dead on, blue eyes spitting flames. "I call out people on their bullshit, sometimes on the most inconsiderate ways possible, which is mainly why I have earned the title of the big asshole." That toothy grin was on his face again. "See? I'm totally imperfect, just like you. I'm still likable though, aren't I?"

"You are absolutely adorable," Ichigo smiled back.

"Same goes for ya," Grimmjow said and winked, "So stop worrying."

Ichigo's smile, however, fell once again. He pushed his fingers through Grimmjow's soft hair and bit his lip. "It's a shame that only you see it like this."

"Hm?"

His expression started to get darker. "My ex said I am too emotionally demanding and exhausting when I asked him why he had cheated on me."

"Hey," Grimmjow's voice called softly. When a hand cupped his face and titled it, Ichigo just realized he had been staring somewhere else. "Your ex is a shitty person," Grimmjow said earnestly, "You were too good for him and like the pansy he is, he got scared."

"That's just comfort bullshit."

"Fuck you, you ain't gon' tell me if I'm honest or not; I know I'm honest."

At Grimm's harsh tone, Ichigo retrieved both of his hands and hid his face within his palms. There he was, causing trouble to Grimmjow again. "Sorry," he muttered, "Ignore me, I'm just being angsty."

"Be as angsty as you want, I don't mind," Grimmjow said, "But don't let any asshole make you feel inadequate. You're amazing, right?"

"How do you know? You barely know me a day."

Grimmjow smiled. "I see it in your eyes; that fire; that passion for life, for love, for pleasure, for new things. You're a restless soul, ready to devour the world at any chance you're given. And these are my favorite kind of people."

Ichigo wasn't sure if he was amazed or amused at Grimm's answer. "All that you see in my eyes? What kind of an eye doctor are you, mister?"

"One that would kiss you until you stopped thinking of stupid things."

There was a pause. A long, pregnant pause, during which Ichigo scanned Grimm's face for deception, for mockery, for something which indicated that the man was kidding. He found nothing but a solemn, serious expression. Then, his gaze dropped to Grimmjow's lips, full and parted and waiting as they were. He licked his own and took a deep breath.

"I think I'd like to stop thinking for a while, yes, thank you."

Grimmjow shot up from his lap in vertigo speeds. He then turned towards Ichigo, blue eyes holding him hostage. He was hesitating, Ichigo could see it; he was nervous, unsure; he was licking his lips. Ichigo couldn't help but smile, yet he casted his eyes away. Goddamn, it's not the right time to be shy!

Yet, that smile had to be the green light the blue-haired man sought because all to soon, Ichigo felt large hands cup his face and soft lips gently slanting over his. It was nice - so nice, and Grimmjow smelled amazing and he was warm and tender and careful. He didn't plunge directly in with tongue, like the people Ichigo had kissed usually did; instead, he nipped on Ichigo's bottom lip, kissed the corners, then nudged Ichigo's nose with his own until they both chuckled breathlessly. Ichigo could feel his cheeks flaming and he knew Grimm could feel it too, so he couldn't bring himself to look the other in the eye, even though he could sense Grimmjow's penetrative stare on his face.

The lips which met his we much more confident this time, slightly demanding, but without losing their initial gentleness. Ichigo places his hands over Grimmjow's, his fingers trailing down to muscular forearms, then to thick biceps only to do it again and again and again while Grimmjow kissed his thoughts away. Still without tongue though. Not that he minded, it was amazing either way, but Ichigo did want a dash of greater intimacy.

_Perhaps Grimmjow doesn't like French kissing_, he mused as they parted. He still wanted to hazard a chance so he poked his tongue out and traced the rim of Grimmjow's lower lip. Grimmjow's eyes shone with intensity and want, making Ichigo cast his down. It was overwhelming right? And a tad embarrassing too. However, Ichigo didn't have time to ponder on it for long because Grimmjow let out a small groan as his hands slipped into Ichigo's hair.

"It drives me insane when you do that," he said, voice husky.

"Do what?"

The fingers holding his hair tightened. "When you do something sexy and then go all shy on me." He let out a harsh breath. "You playful little elf."

_Elf? That's a first_, Ichigo thought in amusement. "It's not like I do it on purpose you know," he said.

Grimmjow's thumb coursed over his lips, parting them at the seam. His eyes were big and scanning and spitting fire. Ichigo was losing bits of himself in them.

"For whatever reason you do it," Grimmjow rumbled, "...I will eat you up, hm?"

"Please."

Grimmjow had apparently gone easy on him before. Babied him, even. Because as soon as their lips collided again, as soon as Grimmjow's tongue found his, Ichigo felt his being getting seized by a force named _Grimmjow_. Sparks of electricity went up and down his spine, furry bunnies crawling on his skin and giving him goosebumps, as Grimmjow claimed his mouth in the sweetest but most intense way possible.

Their tongues played a lot, making the kiss sloppier but it was Grimmjow who was still on control. _No more,_ Ichigo briefly mused as his competitive spirit took over and pushed Grimmjow's tongue back into its place. He got some skills to show off too, skills which proceeded to earn him the breathiest and sexiest moans he had ever heard in his short life.

When they finally broke apart for air, Ichigo was more than satisfied to see Grimmjow's eyes all glassy and disoriented.

"Wha- I-", he stuttered, then facepalmed. "Fuck, you had me speaking in tongues a little over here."

Ichigo smirked. "It didn't sound French to me though."

Grimmjow stared at him incredulously. Then dissolved in hearty laughter. "You're the hugest and cutest nerd in the world, you know that?"

If it made Grimmjow smile like that, Ichigo had zero problems with being just that.

**XXXX**

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